With spring (hopefully) just around the corner, we’ve been sent a sneak preview of a new bikepacking trail that traverses the stunning landscapes of Tuscany and which might be just the inspiration you need for deciding where to head for a future gravel riding holiday.
Imagine riding through a land of stunning scenery, criss-crossed with a network of gravel tracks and tiny roads. Each honey-coloured village that you pass through offers a scenic central square where small groups of local people sit outside in dappled sunshine, drinking their morning espresso and chatting animatedly. The sun beams down from an azure blue sky and you kick up a dust trail in your wake as you traverse the amazing countryside. Not only is the riding and the scenery amazing, but you’re travelling through a landscape rich in culture, history and art. Along the way, you’ll get to stay in traditional accommodation and sample the finest selection of local food and wine.
That might all just sound like marketing waffle, but it is what the organisers of the soon-to-be-launched Terre di Pisa Bike Trail are offering. This 530km route, which will include nearly 10,000m of climbing and which is roughly 40% off-road is designed to showcase the best of the scenery and countryside which can be found to the immediate south and east of the Italian city of Pisa.
The Terre di Pisa Bike trail will take in the areas of central Tuscany which are slightly off the normal tourist routes – most visitors tend to head further south-east or to the sandy coastline to the west. That’s not to say that the route won’t showcase some of Tuscany’s more popular spots – it starts in the amazing city of Pisa and takes riders to the towns of Volterra and Montecatini Val di Cecina after all, but many of the other locations visited will be less well known to many non-Italians.
Although it will be possible to ride the Terre di Pisa Bike Trail in a traditional self-supported bikepacking manner, the organisers are setting up partnerships with bike hire companies, local accommodation providers, cafes & restaurants, transport providers, vineyards, olive oil farmers and other local businesses so that they can offer a more comprehensive 'offer' to would-be visitors. The Terre di Pisa Bike Trail will have a website which will act as a portal to all the information that potential visitors would need to know.
For those of you who fancy a slightly more high-paced version of the route, the organisers are also considering organising an ultra-distance event (likely to be held in October 2024 and then every year in late spring) where riders will tackle the full route in one go. Full details will be published here nearer the time.
The route hasn’t quite been finalised yet, but as soon as it’s ready we’ll be among the first to share the news with you. Keep an eye on the Gravel Union website for further details.